What is the Summer Slide, and How Can It Be Prevented?
Bianca Corozzo, Founder of H&B Learning, explains the summer slide, and how to keep our vacationing childrens’ minds nimble, lively and engaged while school’s out. We want our little ones to hold onto the valuable knowledge they gained during their last academic year! These tips are fun and totally realistic for all families.
The summer slide refers to the loss of learning that occurs in school-aged children during the summer months. Beginning-of-the-year student assessment data trends indicate that children often regress academically during summer vacation, hence the summer slide. This means that teachers must use time allocated for new learning to review the previous grade’s concepts. While I am not of the belief that children forget everything they have learned, I do notice the impact of a brain that becomes complacent and “sleepy” during the summer. Please, please do not go out and spend money on workbooks and crash courses in tutoring (unless your child is struggling, then yes, seek out support!). If your child is at-or-above their grade level, the following are some suggestions for preventing the summer slide:
For your little ones entering pre-kindergarten through first grade:
- Keep the focus on print and numerical awareness.
- Use environmental print (logos, store signs, brand names, etc.) to encourage letter, sound and word awareness.
- Create silly songs to encourage rhyming skills.
- Ask them to help you count items, determine how many are “in all,” if you add to them, or how many “are left” if you remove items.
- Use conversation to encourage higher order skills such as sequence, problem solving, answering “wh” questions (who, what, where, when, why, how).
- Encourage your child to practice handwriting, letter and word formation by helping you make to-do or shopping lists.
Prevent the summer slide for your future second and third graders:
- Ask them to choose a magazine they enjoy (whether an online or hard copy) for them to read on long trips, and then discuss the content with them.
- Involve your child in the vacation planning process. Ask them to research possible places and provide a rationale as to why they prefer a particular destination.
- Encourage your child to send a letter or card to a relative, sharing what they did during the summer.
- Have your child help create and monitor a vacation budget.
- Plan a meal with your child, giving them the responsibility of selecting the menu, making a list of the ingredients, determining how much money is needed, and following a recipe (with adult supervision of course).
- Use conversation to encourage higher order skills such as cause and effect, drawing conclusions, and making inferences. Remember, they are still not abstract thinkers, so keep it simple.
For your upper elementary children:
- Ask your child to help you plan an event, such as a party, barbecue or picnic. Support them in accounting for all aspects, but allow your child to work out the “kinks” on their own first.
- Encourage them to write an e-mail or letter to a company/restaurant/event location, either thanking them for their exceptional product/service, or stating what they would like to critique. This is a great way for your children to practice writing skills, without them even knowing it!
- Ask your child to help you measure for a home improvement project, especially where it involves areas and perimeters.
- Include your child in any gardening projects. Aside from the enjoyment of working side by side, your upper elementary child can practice math and problem-solving skills and increase stamina, which is an essential skill for reading and state exams.
- Engage in a friendly debate with your child about an issue of interest to them, challenging them to research facts on the topic. (Your child at this age is thinking less concretely and more abstractly).
While preventing the summer slide does not require giving your child stacks of books and assignments to complete, an idle mind for a children (or adults) is never healthy. By being creative and infusing learning and academics into your summer activities, you can rest assured your child’s brain will remain elastic and ready for the next grade come September.
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Bianca Corozzo, M.S. CCC-SLP is an experienced, licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. Her areas of expertise are primarily in literacy and child language disorders. In addition to her work with clients of all ages, her supervisory and school leadership experience led her to found H&B Learning, a company that offers a full menu of educational services ranging from academic tutoring to consultant work with parents. Her goal is to ensure parents and their children are equipped with the necessary resources to be successful in both school and in life.